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<br />The above information was used to augment soil surveys, field <br />investigations, engineering surveys, crop yield determinations, and <br />irrigation water investigations made by members of the Field Party as <br />well as local representatives of the U. S. Forest Service, Soil <br />Conservation Service, Agricultural Research Service, and Bureau of <br />Reclamation. <br /> <br />In addition, assistance from representatives of the Colorado Cooperative <br />Extension Service, Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station, Colorado <br />Water Conservation Board, Farmers Home Administration, State and County <br />Agricul tural Stabilization and Conservation Committees, Bureau of Land <br />Management, and others has been valuable' in preparing the report. <br /> <br />Soils <br /> <br /> <br />Farm-to-farm soil surveys have been made by the Soil Conservation <br />Service, cooperating ~ith the Delta Soil Conservation District, on a <br />total of 5,274 acres, which is a l6-percent sample of the total acreage <br />in the project. Land classification field sheets of the Bureau of <br />Reclamation were used as reference material. Soils in the Paonia <br />Project are fairly uniform in'potential productivity. Chiefly because <br />of differenceS in topography, these soils have been divided into land <br />capability classes I, II, III, and IV--each class requiring different <br />treatment and management. Based on this sample, which is representative <br />of the project area, there is ample land within the paonia Project <br />suitable for long-continued irrigation to provide the 14,380 acres for <br />which the Bureau of Reclamation plans to provide irrigation water. <br /> <br />Land Improvement <br /> <br />Of the 14,380 acres to be irrigated in the Paonia Project, 12,280 acres <br />are now cultivated. This land has all been developed to some extent <br />and has farm ditches which deliver water to the .fields. Considerable <br />improvement is needed in land leveling and farm ditches to enable <br />.farmers to irrigate with higher efficiency than that which now prevails. <br />The estimated costs for the iIll1llediately necessary improvements on <br />presently irrigated land will average $12 an acre. The 2,100 acres of <br />new land are generally in small tracts and are now undeveloped. They <br />will need Clearing of brush at an average estimated cost of $19 an <br />acre, removal of rocks on and near the surface at $150, leveling at an <br />average of $98, and construction of farm ditches at $14 an acre. The <br />estimated development cost for new land during the development period <br />averages $281 an acre. These costs and the associated crop yields <br />resulting from these improvements are considered in the economic analysis <br />of this project. <br /> <br />Estimates have also been made of additional irrigation improvements <br />which farmers are expected to make over a longer time to bring the <br />presently cultivated land to a higher level of productivity. Experience <br />in other areas has shown that after farmers have a dependable water <br />supply, they gradually improve their irrigation to the highest practical <br />extent. This additional improvement usually takes a good many years <br />so it is not considered in evaluating this project. <br /> <br />v <br />